MILLIONS of Google Stadia users may be owed refunds as the hit gaming service shuts down.
The service launched back in November 2019, but is now being canned.
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What is Google Stadia?
Google Stadia is a system that streams video games to your devices over the internet – just like a Netflix TV show.
It means you can play games built for an Xbox or PS4 in a web browser on a cheap laptop, or using an app on your phone.
That’s because all the “hard computing” is done in a Google building miles away, and then beamed down to your blower.
You would simply buy a Stadia controller and access to the service, allowing you to buy and play games over the cloud.
Why is Google Stadia shutting down and when?
Google Stadia had an estimated 2million players at its peak – though official numbers weren’t given.
In any case, the service is now being shuttered.
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A blog post from Google’s Stadia boss Phil Harrison in late September confirmed that the app would soon be killed.
“While Stadia’s approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected,” Harrison explained.
“So we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service.”
He added: “Players will continue to have access to their games library and play through January 18, 2023 so they can complete final play sessions.”
How to get Google Stadia refund
Thankfully, Google is refunding all Stadia users.
“We will be refunding all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store,” Harrison said.
“And all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia store.”
That means the refunds are totally automatic, so you shouldn’t have to do anything.
Google says it should have completed the majority of refunds by mid-January 2023.
So make sure all of your payment info is up-to-date and correct on your Google account.
If you don’t see a refund by the end of January, it’s worth getting in touch with Google Support.
There’s a help centre here.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
